#2:
I make people furious regularly. Want an example? I kissed gorgeous
Jamie Forta, boyfriend of the coolest cheerleader in the school. Now
she’s out for blood. Mine.

#3: But most of all high school might
as well be Mars. My best friend has been replaced by an alien…and now
it’s a case of survival of the coolest.

When
I read a book, I want to like it. I almost always do, but sometimes, I don’t
even try to finish them. Confessions of
an Angry Girl was the rare inbetween.

There
were a lot of reasons why I didn’t enjoy this as much as I wanted to. First, I didn't like Rose as a character. Aside from that moment when she finally burst, I never thought she was angry (like the title says)—just whiny. I hate it when people complain, but I hate it even more when that's all they do. Also, she kept blaming other people her age for being so childish, when I didn't feel that she was mature enough to even try to handle them. Lastly, I hated her lack of a backbone. If I were her, I wouldn't care if I was up against the meanest cheerleader in the universe; I'd show her what she's up against.

Then there
was also the plot that had very little going on. I couldn’t identify the real
climax, and in the end, it seemed like the story didn’t progress at all—just
like the underdeveloped romance, which had so much potential because of bad-boy Jamie Forta.I appreciated how the author tackled topics like sex, contraceptives, and even gynecology—which was quite TMI, to be honest, and now I'm dreading even the thought of having to go there in, like, ten years—but isn't fourteen too young to be thinking about those stuff? Or am I just experiencing cultural differences?

Anyway, the
ending left much questions unanswered for the sequel, but I doubt I’ll be
checking that out—though I do love the title: Confessions of an Almost-Girlfriend.

Dec 29, 2012

Since the snowy night
when her family's car slammed into a tree, killing her parents and
little sister, Sasha has been unable to speak except through a computer
with a robotic voice. Nothing is wrong with her body; that's healed.
But, after four years, Sasha's memory, and her spirit, are still broken.
Then one day, she's silently cussing out the heavy book she dropped at
the library when a gorgeous, dark-haired boy, the kind of boy who
considers Sasha a freak or at least invisible, "answers" Sasha's hidden
thoughts - out loud. Yes, Ben can read minds; it's no big deal. He's
part of a family with a host of unusual,
almost-but-not-quite-supernatural talents. Through Ben's love, Sasha
makes greater progress than she has with a host of therapists and a
prominent psychiatrist. With him to defend her, bullies keep the world
from ever understanding Sasha, he pulls away. Determined to win him and
prove her courage by facing her past, Sasha confronts her past - only
to learn that her family's death was no accident and that a similar fate
may wait for her, in the unlikeliest of disguises.

They say laughter is the
best medicine, but what if—aside from a few huffs of air—you couldn’t even laugh?

That’s Sasha’s life, post-accident—the
accident that had taken her family and her voice. After four years of psychotherapy,
she still suffered from hysterical mutism and retrograde amnesia, and had to
choose between pen and paper or her Hawkie Talkie to communicate with others...
well, that was until Ben Fisher, cute black-belter and Italian-speaking
mind-reader, came complete with nunchucks to save her.

I have to say, I
certainly didn’t expect Louder Than Words
to be such a fun read. Sure, Sasha was mute and had little memory of her
life before the accident, but she wasn’t too down on herself. She was hopeless
but positive. I doubt I’m making any sense here, but I really understood her
outlook in life because it’s pretty much mine, too.

Now, on to Ben freaking Fisher. I admit, he reminded me
of Edward Cullen more than once—probably because of the mind-reading,
Roman-god-looks, maturity, and out-of-the-blue chastity—but aside from his
special talent, he was very much human. And very much swoon-worthy.

Although it frustrated
me (a lot), I liked how Ben prioritized Sasha’s mental health over their
relationship, knowing she would never be whole without fully understanding her
past, and I liked it even more that, instead of wallowing in grief, Sasha
concentrated on getting better.

With the perfect balance
of giggles and I’m-suspecting-everyone mystery, Louder Than Words was the complete package, and I would love to
pick it up again soon.

Dec 28, 2012

Seventeen-year-old Ciardis
has grown up in poverty, a cleaner in a small vale on the outskirts of
the kingdom. But beneath her kingdom’s seemingly idyllic surface lies
a hidden secret. Whispers of an inept crown Prince are growing
ever louder—intensified by the five year anniversary of the
soulbond initiations.

Amidst scandalous whispers, Ciardis finds
herself chosen to train for the Companion’s Guild. She leaves her home
and sets off on a personal journey to become a Court Companion. A
position she’d never thought possible for a lowly servant to obtain, she
must prove that she has the skills to attract a Patron.

But she
must master those skills quickly. If the legends are true, only Ciardis
can harness the power to raise a Prince in an Imperial Court sworn to
bring him down.

This sensational series debut melds intricate
storylines with remarkable characters and unforgettable magic. Sworn To
Raise is ideal for fans of Kristin Cashore, Michelle Sagara, and Maria
Snyder.

About the author:Terah Edun is an international
development professional and author/lover of all things Young
Adult Fantasy fiction. She is a native Georgian, adoptive Washingtonian,
unrepentant expat currently living in South Sudan, brilliant dreamer,
lover of dogs and not-so-closet geek. Her first novel, Red Madrassa, was
released on November 8th and her second novel, Sworn to Raise, comes
out in March 2013.

Top 10 of 2012 will be five days of top ten bookish lists on this last week of 2012!

I didn't have a "Best Book Boyfriends of 2012" post because I couldn't narrow down my list to ten! >_< Anyway, I have lots of 2013 books in my to-read shelf in Goodreads, but here are the ten I'm most excited for!

Dec 27, 2012

Dell is used to
disappointment. Ever since her dad left, it’s been one letdown after
another. But no one—not even her best friend—gets all the pain she’s
going through. So Dell hides behind self-deprecating jokes and forced
smiles.

Then the one person she trusts betrays her. Dell is
beyond devastated. Without anyone to turn to for comfort, her depression
and self-loathing spin out of control. But just how far will she go to
make all of the heartbreak and name-calling stop?

Let me tell you one thing about this book: it is not about hope or enlightening. Not even a tad bit. It aims - at least I think it does - to grab the reader's heart and plug in a wire to connect with it, to unmask Dell's disappointments hidden behind self-deprecation and nonchalance. Unfortunately, it failed to make that connection with me.

But that's not to say Empty was a failure. The prose was good, oozing with darkness and depression, befitting of Dell's emotional and disturbing life. The reason why it didn't affect me as much as I wanted it to was because, thankfully, my life's been very far from that. My parents didn't get a divorce, I didn't realize my dad hadn't really loved me, my mom has never been too wrecked to be a mother, my best friend is not becoming a stranger, and I am not filling any internal void with food.

So instead of making me sad, Empty served as an eye-opener. It told me to be more appreciative and thankful for what I have, and sorry for even the little name-calling that I did back in high school. But even with Dell's hopelessness, her story fills one with anticipation for better things and strength to work towards those goals.

Anyway, that ending was totally unexpected. I kept eyeing the page number, willing for there to be more, chanting "someone or something stop her" in my head. My wish ended up being unfulfilled, but that way, the story became just so much more real.

MY FAVORITE PART was Dell's talent show performance. Let it all out, girl.

I was drafting this post to go up at December 25, 12:01 AM (Philippine time), but was whisked away by my family before I got to finish, but anyway,

Merry Christmas!

Now, Christmas isn't the only reason for this giveaway. Just recently, I reached 100 followers here on the blog (it's actually 146 as I'm typing this up) and, on December 23, I celebrated - no, I didn't, I actually forgot about it :)) - my blog's third-month blogiversary! *happy dance* So for those three reasons, I'm giving away three books.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini (Sadly, I didn't enjoy this one, so I'll be giving my copy to a person who, hopefully, will)

Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle (I bought this months ago but didn't get to read it, and I'm planning to get the trade paperback soon)

The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa (I asked my dearest sister to buy me the Iron Fey boxed set but this is what I got -_- Well, she also got me The Iron Legends but this is from the UK pub so their sizes are different >_<)

And swag! Those are signed bookmarks from Liz Fichera and Abbi Glines ♥